The 76th annual Masters Tournament commences this Thursday, April 5, 2012, on August National, and is considered by many as the most-anticipated Masters in history. While world ranking players are en route for the tournament the week, including last year's winner Charl Schwartzel and No. 1 ranked player Luke Donald, the burning question among golf enthusiasts is whether Tiger Woods will return to major championship form. Woods has had good performances at The Masters in the past, but no official PGA Tour victories in over 2 years, until recently winning his seventh title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The win, less than a month ago, instantly gave credence to the notion that Woods was once again a favorite for a fifth green jacket. Watch Tiger Woods tee off on Thursday at 10:35 a.m. ET.

World-ranked No. 2 professional golfer Rory McIlroy dominated the 2011 Masters for three rounds, but a disastrous drive at the 10th, which came to rest seemingly in someone's backyard, resulted in McIlroy falling into a tie for 15th. Recently, McIlroy crushed the field in a victory at the U.S. Open at Congressional, which was the launching point to the top of the world rankings, albeit a brief one. McIlroy was No. 1 for just two weeks after he won this year's Transitions Championship. With his form, McIlroy is a clear choice at Augusta this year.

A list of favorites for The Masters has to include Phil Mickelson because he's won the title three times (the green jackets came in 2004, 2006 and 2010). At the Pebble Beach Invitational, and paired in the final round with Woods, Mickelson made every putt spanning the California coastline. Mickelson had a good showing this past weekend with a tie for fourth in his Houston Open title defense.

With these three contenders, The Masters is set up for a wildly entertaining tournament this year!

Tune in to the official Masters Tournament site for live coverage, and watch for more updates on the tour from the WGT Blog.

At the 2012 Shell Houston Open, Hunter Mahan held on to a one-stroke lead over Carl Pettersson during the final four holes and shot a 1-under 71 for the win on Sunday. With this victory, Mahan took over the top spot in the latest FedExCup standings and became the first two-time champion on TOUR in 2012. Additionally, he moved to No. 4 in the world rankings, the first time he's ever been the highest-ranked American.

Pettersson needed a victory to secure a spot at the 2012 Masters Tournament this coming weekend at Augusta National Golf Club, but unfortunately couldn't gain a stroke down the final stretch. He missed a birdie putt from 20 feet away on 18 that could have forced a playoff, and instead made par to finish at 1-under for the day and 15-under for the tournament.

Louis Oosthuizen began the day two strokes ahead of the field, but struggled on the front nine. He shot 6-over through 10 holes before hitting three birdies over the final stretch to save face at 3-over on the day and 14-under for the tournament. Four players took fourth place at 12-under, including Phil Mickelson.

Three-time major champion Ernie Els finished 10-under and fell short in his bid to earn an automatic invitation to this week's Masters tournament. Els needed a victory to avoid missing Augusta for the first time since 1993; however, the Masters could offer a special invitation to Els. Els has played well this year, earning top-five finishes at the Transitions Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational.